TORONTO -- After a busy off-season, the Toronto Blue Jays were expected to be contenders. Instead theyre well under .500, out of the American League East and AL wild-card races and grasping for positives amid a season that hasnt gone according to plan. "When youre not winning games, its not good," general manager Alex Anthopoulos said during a recent homestand. "Youre scratching your brain trying to come up with ways to get better." One way to get better, for next year and beyond, involves selling before Wednesday afternoons trade deadline. Anthopoulos recognizes the Blue Jays place at the bottom of the standings, but with the hope of contending in 2014 there might not be many assets available to deal. "Everyones in trade mode," Anthopoulos said. "I think anything we do, if we can do something that helps currently, great, but even for the following year as well, well look to do it. Were having dialogue, but Id say every player were having dialogue about are players that can help us beyond the current year." In other words, dont expect a fire sale of every Blue Jays player who has underacheived this season. Only three are impending free agents: starter Josh Johnson, whose value is at an all-time low, reliever Darren Oliver, whos 42 years old, and outfielder Rajai Davis, whos a part-timer relied on mostly for his speed. The bullpen has been one of a few bright spots for the Blue Jays this season, featuring all-stars in Brett Cecil and Steve Delabar. Until last week Toronto hadnt lost a game it led after seven innings. Naturally, the Blue Jays have been getting calls about relievers, but Anthopoulos didnt commit to trading from a position of strength. "We do have depth, and that is an area that we can afford to trade a reliever and still be fine," he said Wednesday. "Were not close to doing anything. As I sit here today I dont think were trading a reliever. The only free agent in that group is Darren Oliver. So any reliever deal, it can happen now or we can take it into the off-season and make a deal there. I wouldnt rule it out because of that depth." Left-handed relief is often hard to find, so Oliver might be a commodity for a playoff contender that wants a rental. At 1,900 innings for his career, Oliver has some wear on him, but he was 3-2 with a 3.82 ERA going into the Blue Jays series in Oakland. Aaron Loup, a 25-year-old left-hander, leads the team with a 1.90 ERA, and veteran lefty Juan Perez was nearly perfect before giving up six runs in his past two appearances. The Blue Jays have a team option on closer Casey Janssen for next season and have Cecil and Delabar under team control for the foreseeable future. But Anthopoulos learned last year when he was trying to acquire bullpen help that its hard to make a trade for just a reliever. "By themselves, a team needs a reliever but the flip side (is), Well, I only want to pay so much to get a guy (to) pitch 40 innings, especially for the last two months," he said. "And its so difficult to equate just on a one-on-one deal, and thats why its easier to make them part of a larger deal." The market for reliever trades has already been set. On Monday the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim traded 37-year-old former Blue Jays lefty Scott Downs to the Atlanta Braves for minor-league right-hander Cory Rasmus, and the Houston Astros traded closer Jose Veras to the Detroit Tigers for 19-year-old outfield prospect Danry Vasquez and a player to be named later. The 32-year-old Davis appears to be Torontos most tradeable position player, as he showed Sunday when he tied a franchise record with four stolen bases in a single game. Hes tied for third in the majors in steals (31 going into Monday nights game), despite having far fewer at-bats than anyone else in the top 10. "His first step is as good as anybody Ive ever seen," manager John Gibbons said. "I mean hes really a force when he does get on for you." Davis, who has been traded twice in his career, isnt worried about the speculation. "I think that I could help anybody win. Obviously Im capable of stealing bases," Davis said. "I guess I try not to focus on the things that I cant go control, just try to go out there and focus on the things I can control." Anthopoulos is the one in control from the Blue Jays end. Speaking a week before the trade deadline, he said the Blue Jays "dont have anything big going" and tempered expectations of making a move by citing a lack of traction to that point. "Theres some things that are definitely alive," Anthopoulos said. "Theyre a coin flip right now if theyre going to happen. But I think theyre conversations that if they dont get done now, they would carry into the off-season." Anthopoulos prefers to make deals before July 31, which he calls "chaotic" and "rushed." "Its like last-minute shopping," he said. "The doors of the store are starting to close and everybodys scrambling. And for us, were going after very specific players and very specific things." The Blue Jays figure to need starting pitching help, though if Ricky Romero returns to form at some point and Kyle Drabek manages to rebound from his second career Tommy John surgery, Anthopoulos might not need focus on that area when talking about deals. But even with shortstop Jose Reyes strong play in the past month since returning, the infield is a place of emphasis. Thats why Brett Lawrie has played second base in addition to third, a move that gives Toronto some flexibility in the trade market. "Were certainly looking to do some things in the infield at the trade deadline," Anthopoulos said. "Im not saying that we will, but were actively having dialogue with some teams to see if we can do something there." As recently as Friday, Gibbons said he likes his team and has confidence in his players. He doesnt see some better performances of late as evidence that players want to be traded to a contender. "I dont think theyre playing better so they can get out of here," Gibbons said. "I think some of them havent had their normal years, and if they kick it in the rest of the way, I think its just who they are. ... We got some pretty good guys. Most of the guys out there are proven players in this league at this level. Most guys dont ever want to leave, anyway, to get traded. Youve got to uproot and thats never easy, either." Whether its this week or in the off-season, the composition of the Jays roster will change. Anthopoulos said he hasnt thought of September call-ups yet and isnt sure if the Blue Jays 2014 core will look much different than this group. 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The Newcastle Jets need to start taking the initiative and stop waiting for opposition goals to spark them into action, coach Mark Jones says.The injury-ravaged A-League battlers drew 1-1 with arch-rivals Central Coast in Sundays F3 Derby, but it wasnt until after Jake McGings opening goal for the Mariners that the Jets really clicked into gear.Danish import Morten Nordstrand levelled the scores midway through the second half, and from then on it was Newcastle who looked the more likely to find a winner.Jones sees it as a worrying trend and reckons his side is too timid in the early part of games, for whatever reason.In fact, the only goals the Jets have scored over the last five weeks have come when they were already behind.Its frustrating for them. Theyve seen we can play good football, Jones said.Weve played good football against all the teams, especially in the second half. But its about starting a little bit earlier and being confident when its 0-0.We get it back to 1-1 and were extremely confident but its the same result at 0-0, so we need to play for the start and back ourselves to play through teams and do the actions and the system and the style of play, rright from the start.ddddddddddddWere trying to put our finger on why theyre not confident right from the get go. But the game sort of pans out that way (sometimes) as well.The Jets take on Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park on Saturday evening but will be without two of their most effective attacking players, Aleksandr Kokko (fractured jaw) and Andrew Nabbout (ankle).Both players are expected to be out for around a month, joining a casualty ward already featuring captain Nigel Boogaard (knee), Daniel Mullen (knee) and Lachlan Jackson (ankle), while goalkeeper Ben Kennedy (achilles) and youngster Daniel Alessi (knee) will miss the entire season.Labinot Haliti and Andy Brennan have been included in Newcastles travelling squad while its likely Chinese import Ma Leilei will take on an increased role in the absence of Kokko and Nabbout.The Jets have only lost once in Melbourne to the Victory since March 2013.Weve always gone down with a bit of belief. All the games Ive been involved in, I cant remember one that weve lost down there, Jones said. 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